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We’re all hoping for a peaceful, drama-free summer this year. But unfortunately, that also means we have to prepare for the inevitable severe storms. In most parts of the country, summer is storm season and can cause major damage if you aren’t prepared.
Your home’s roof is one area that suffers much damage during unfortunate weather events like thunderstorms and hurricanes.
Still, it’s easy to do preventative maintenance now to avoid paying for expensive repairs later on. Follow these tips on how to best prepare your roof for extreme weather and make sure your home stays safe during the worst storms of the year.
Get a Roof Damage Insurance
If you’ve never had roof damage insurance before, it’s time to consider it. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of roof damage insurance, here’s what it is:
- It’s an addition to regular homeowners insurance that covers the roof and its contents from storm damage.
- It’s cheaper than what many people think—usually less than $100 per year for most homes.
- Even if your home isn’t insured for disaster recovery, you can get coverage by purchasing additional protection through an industry-approved company (like National Flood Services).
Roofing contractors can be of real help for settling insurance claims. Roofing contractors can be more knowledgeable than adjusters about pointing out the damages in the roof and preparing a roof damage report for seeking claims. Contact a roofing contractor before you reach out to an insurance adjuster.
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Trim the Trees
Trim the trees. If you’ve got trees near your house, it’s important to keep them trimmed and pruned. It can help prevent branches from falling on your roof and causing damage.
Clean gutters, drains, and downspouts. A clogged gutter is like a dam keeping water from flowing freely off the roof; if this happens during a heavy rainstorm or snowfall, it can damage your attic or basement (like mold). Regularly check for debris buildup in all these areas so that you can do repairs as necessary before they become major problems!
Inspect the Roof
You should also inspect your roof for any damaged or missing shingles. Loose or missing nails are another alarming sign, as they can lead to leaks if the rain no longer has a solid surface to run down.
Cracks in your roof can allow water to seep through and cause damage over time; if cracks are present, get them fixed immediately before further damage occurs.
Finally, check for damaged or missing gutters on the gable ends of your house (the sides of buildings that slope upward). If these aren’t in good condition, they won’t be able to channel rainwater away from the side of your home properly—which could lead to water damage inside!
Check the Gutters
Your gutters are an important part of your roof, so you must keep them clean. Debris can pile up and prevent water from draining if you don’t clean gutters regularly. It can lead to leaks, which will cause damage to your home and its contents.
In addition to cleaning out the gutter after every big storm, you should check them during dry periods (such as winter and spring) to ensure they aren’t clogged with leaves or other debris.
Watch for Shingle Damage
If you’re noticing that your roof is not only damaged from a storm but also has been like this for some time, it’s probably high time you called in a professional.
If the damage is extensive and all your shingles are in bad shape, it might be best to rip off all of them and install new ones. If not, there are several things you can do to help make sure your roof doesn’t start leaking on top of everything else:
- Check for missing or cracked shingles. These will cause leaks when they get wet after storms.
- Look out for loose nails on the ripped or broken ones; nail replacements will help prevent water penetration into the home below when it rains heavily after a storm.
- Check if any of those tabs have come loose; they hold down each shingle so they don’t blow away in high winds (which can happen during severe weather). Also, look at whether any granules are missing—that means there was enough wind pressure to knock some off!
Clean Up Debris
The best way to prevent damage from severe storms is to remove any large debris from your roof. It includes branches, leaves, and other items that could cause damage if they fall on the roof at a high rate of speed.
It also helps to remove any tree limbs hanging over your house that will likely fall during a storm. You should also make sure there are no overhanging branches or limbs in the yard or garden area near your home, as this can also cause damage.
Roof Maintenance is Important, and You Can Do It Yourself!
Roof maintenance is important because it can help to prevent damage from severe storms. You can do a lot of this work yourself! It’s also good to get a roof damage insurance policy for your home, which will pay out if an uninsured storm damages your roof.
Trim trees around the edges of your house so that they’re no higher than 30 feet above ground level. In addition, you should trim 3 feet below tree branches that hang over your house, so you don’t have any branches falling onto the roof or breaking off and hitting someone during bad weather.
Inspect all roof areas frequently and look out for signs of wear and tear like shingles being lifted up or leaks coming through when it rains heavily (or both). If there are any leaks or broken tiles, repair them as soon as possible before they cause bigger problems!
Keep gutters clean, so water doesn’t pool on top of them during heavy rainstorms. It can cause leaks inside the house where there aren’t any gutters.
